CEDAW was first heard by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 1979, and signed by President Carter in 1980. There were Senate hearings in 1994 and 2000, but the treaty was never brought to the full Senate to ratify it by a vote. According to Sarah, President Carter's signature is still valid, and when and if the Senate votes on CEDAW, the United States would be a party to it.

As we've discussed before, CEDAW calls upon State parties to eliminate the discrimination of women by taking appropriate legislative action. One of the contentious points, for Americans, is that Article 12 includes access to family planning as a necessary component of a non-discriminatory health system. Other rights included are ones already fairly well entrenched in the US legal system, like access to education, other healthcare issues, and laws against domestic violence. There may still be gaps in our system, and the recent Supreme Court case regarding discriminatory pay shows that practices are not always in keeping with our idealistic laws. Nonetheless, a hearing by the Senate could highlight any changes the United States needs to make with regards to gender equity.

Further, as Sarah points out, ratifying CEDAW is most important as a foreign policy tool. Its value is mainly diplomatic, and I think we need all the help we can get when it comes to foreign diplomacy! Further, the fact that we haven't become a party to the treaty gives us somewhat less ground to stand on when attempting to point out the horrors of how other countries (parties or not) treat women. For example, Saudi Arabia, which does not allow women to drive, and requires them to be covered at all times, has ratified CEDAW. As a leader in human rights, the United States cannot demand other countries ratify or enforce the treaty in our current position. Sarah also points out that one of the first things the new Afghani government did was to ratify CEDAW (remember the first thing Bush did when he got into office?) Was CEDAW ratified by the United States, very little would change. The US would, as is its practice, attach reservations and understandings limiting the implications of the treaty.

Article 12 requires access to family planning, but that does not include the right to an abortion. In fact, the UN does not recognize abortion as a human right, although there is an argument that abortion rights implicate other human rights. Many countries that have ratified CEDAW, incluing Ireland, Burkina Faso and Rwanda, continue to prohibit abortion, generally.

The United States could have ratified CEDAW in the 1980s, which Sarah calls "a good time" to have done so. But women's issues always get mired in politics, even for something like this, which doesn't actually change domestic laws (unlike the ERA, which is a much stronger mechanism for women's rights, as it is a domestic law itself). However, CEDAW should not be a political issue, it is "a human rights issue" and has serious implication on the United States' influence abroad. For more on what you can do to help the US ratify CEDAW or for more information, see the coalition's website - www.womenstreaty.org.

We've been focusing a lot on condoms over here at the RRB, in part due to the launch of the Condom Campaign, and also because we're involved with Elexa.

So here's the story: Men, your reproductive rights end once the sperm leaves your body. If you don't use a condom, even due to any understanding regarding the woman's reproductive choices, you are responsible for any children that result from the union. Period. Women, condoms are one of the best ways to protect against STIs, even if you are using a method of contraception. Of the women who use contraception, 18% of them use condoms.

Elexa is a line of condoms by Trojan, mostly, targeted to women. Their goal, according to Logan Levkoff, a spokesperson for Trojan, is to increase the number of people carrying condoms. She says that only one in four sex acts is protected, and hopes that if women carry condoms, they'll be more likely to use them. Part of the issue is a social stigma of carrying condoms - there is a concern that women who carry condoms are promiscuous. Logan says in reality, those women are being responsible by caring for both themselves and their partners. Condoms aren't 100% effective against all STDs, but it's the best thing we've got for those who are sexually active.

Logan also had some concerns about ab-only education, not only because it fails to educate children, but also because it misinforms them. They feel ashamed of their sexuality, and when they are finally sexually active, they are not always safe. These programs also transmit inaccurate information about condom safety, which further decreases the safety of sexual encounters.